The first Broadway revival of William Gibson's The Miracle Worker comes to light beginning Feb. 12 at Circle in the Square Theatre. Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin stars as Helen Keller in the true story that has inspired generations.

Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") plays the angry and chaotic Helen Keller, the blind and deaf Alabama girl who cannot be controlled by her Victorian parents. Enter Annie Sullivan, played by Tony Award nominee Alison Pill (Lieutenant of Inishmore), the teacher who does battle with Helen and brings forth a transformation that helped make Keller an international symbol of overcoming adversity.

Kate Whoriskey (who shepherded Lynn Nottage's Fabulation and Ruined regionally and Off-Broadway) directs the 50th anniversary production, which will officially open March 3. The production is presented in the round; Circle in the Square is Broadway's only arena-style theatre.

Set in Alabama in the 1880s, The Miracle Worker, according to production notes, "tells the story of real-life blind and deaf Medal of Freedom winner Helen Keller, who suddenly lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months, and the extraordinary teacher who taught her to communicate with the world, Annie Sullivan."

The new Broadway cast of The Miracle Worker also includes Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Matthew Modine ("And the Band Played On," "Short Cuts," "Birdy," Hartford Stage's To Kill a Mockingbird) as Capt. Keller; Jennifer Morrison (Fox TV's "House M.D.") as Mrs. Keller; and Tony Award winner Elizabeth Franz (Broadway's Death of a Salesman, Morning's at Seven) as Aunt Ev, with Tobias Segal (The Cherry Orchard at BAM) as James, Daniel Oreskes (Billy Elliot) as Doctor/Anagnos, Michael Cummings (Joe Turner's Come and Gone) as Percy, Simone Joy Jones as Martha, Yvette Ganier (Gem of the Ocean) as Viney and Lance Chantiles-Wertz (The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd) as Jimmie.

The original 1959 Broadway production famously starred Anne Bancroft as Irish-American Annie and young Patty Duke as Helen. It won six Tony Awards, including Best Play in 1960. They repeated their work for the film version, each winning an Academy Award. Duke later played Annie in a TV film of the work, with Melissa Gilbert as Helen. A theatrical sequel, Monday After the Miracle, also by Gibson, showed Helen and Annie as adults, dealing with very different issues. Gibson died in 2008.

Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Modine and Elizabeth Franz

photo by Aubrey Reuben

Breslin is most widely known for playing the title role in the film "Little Miss Sunshine," for which she got an Academy Award nomination.

Pill was Tony-nominated for playing a lovestruck Irish terrorist in the dark comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

The producers previously announced that ten-year-old actress Kyra Ynez Siegel, who has vision loss in one of her eyes, has been cast as the understudy to Breslin in the role of Helen.

Tickets to The Miracle Worker are $117 (including $2 facility charge) and are available by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200, visiting www.telecharge.com or visiting Circle in the Square Theatre box office at 235 West 50 Street.

The Miracle Worker will play the following schedule. Previews from Feb. 12-27: Monday-Saturday evenings at 8 PM; Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2 PM; no performances Sunday.

Week of March 1: Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM; Sunday evening at 7 PM; opening night curtain March 3 at 6:30 PM; no performance March 4; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 PM.

The Miracle Worker is the first Broadway play to offer the D-Scriptive audio system for audience members who are blind or have low vision, as well as the I-Caption system for audience members who are deaf or hard of hearing, both free of charge at every performance.

The show's official website is another Broadway first: it ensures access for all patrons with disabilities.

"Care has been taken to ensure proper contrast in color palettes and choice of typeface to aid users with low vision, and the site functions properly when the design 'style sheets' are deactivated," according to the producers. "This increases usability for patrons who prefer to omit the embedded styling altogether or, alternatively, to use personalized style sheets during their visit."

Expect "closed captioning for YouTube-hosted videos created by the production," with "onscreen transcripts provided for users without Flash or javascript support." The website highlights the accessibility products that are provided to patrons free of charge at The Circle in the Square. Visit the Accessibility Services page at miracleworkeronbroadway.com.

The production is committed to continually improving the website's accessibility based on feedback from users and partners in the Blind and Deaf communities.